I have not heard this clothing trademark in use lately – FUBU – and maybe the company has gone out of business. “Considering that ‘hue and cry’ is in its ninth century of use, insisting on spelling it correctly DOES NOT seem picky.” If the Hugh & Crye brand of men’s clothing becomes more well-known, it will probably take over from hew and cry, and the ball will be moved, but in the wrong direction.ĭon’t say “Considering that ‘hue and cry’ is in its ninth century of use, insisting on spelling it correctly may seem a bit picky,” In this case, the word “hew” isn’t very common, either, but is more familiar than hue, apparently. Again, the word “hue” (with this meaning) is rare, probably extinct today outside this phrase and the common law literal meaning re the pursuit of criminals you mention. 7 Examples of Passive Voice (And How To Fix Them)Ī nuther one for the “low and behold”, “tow the line”, “Penny Anny”, “it’s a doggie dog world” drawer.Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below: It seems reasonable to expect people to learn to spell the words they use in publishing their thoughts. It’s amazing that modern speakers still have a use for it. to strike, or deal blows with a cutting weapon to strike forcibly with a cutting tool.Ĭonsidering that “hue and cry” is in its ninth century of use, insisting on spelling it correctly may seem a bit picky. Hew, on the other hand, has to do with cutting and chopping. One “raises a hue and cry” against a perceived crime or injustice. In modern use, “hue and cry” is used figuratively as a synonym for outcry. Men who refused to assist in “the hue and cry” were subject to legal penalties. In time the expression became a legal term for such a pursuit commanded by the local constable. “Hue and cry” was the combined tumult of men shouting, dogs baying, and hunting horns sounding that accompanied the pursuit of a criminal. Hue meaning “shout” came into English from French heu, which was more of an utterance like “huh” than a word. Outcry, shouting, clamor, especially that raised by a multitude in war or the chase. Modern speakers are more familiar with the hue that means “color” than with the hue that means a noise or an outcry, so it’s not surprising they might assume the hue in the expression would have a different spelling. So where’s the hew and cry over the gross spending spree? Imagine the hew and cry if GeorgeBush were President Remember the hew and cry about some ducks dying in a tailings pond? Here are some examples of hue being misspelled as hew in newspapers published in the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and Canada.Īmid Hew and Cry, British Buyout Firms Stay on Message Sometimes, however, the intended expression seems clear enough from the context. Where’s the hew and cry about the way women are treated?Ī web search turned up a great many examples of “hew and cry,” but it’s not always easy to tell which are misspellings and which are intended to be humorous.įor example, the Seattle Times ran the headline, “Hew and Cry Put on Hold.” The story was about a protest against the the logging of Old-Growth stands.īefore 1979 and the separation of the Department of Education from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, many newspaper headlines used the expression “hew and cry” as a play on the acronym HEW. The following comment set me wondering how widespread the misspelling of hue in the expression hue and cry has become:
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